


It's a Wonderful String Theory

by Lenore



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Advent Calendar Drabble, Gen, Holiday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-04
Updated: 2006-12-04
Packaged: 2017-10-09 00:16:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/80950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lenore/pseuds/Lenore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Advent 06 Day 11. Every time a bell rings...</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's a Wonderful String Theory

"So you see how everything would have been different if you weren't around to save the day?" the angel (if that's what he really was and not some unfortunate side effect of Zelenka's home brew) cheerfully proclaimed.

Rodney crossed his arms over his chest. "Because I was in such danger of doubting my importance to this expedition. If you show me one more hideous scenario where my friends get hurt, maimed, killed, or turn into English majors, I will—"

He gave the angel (or mirage created by some undigested beef-like-meat he'd had at dinner last night) a menacing glare.

"Furthermore," he continued his rant, "I don't appreciate your borrowing _his_ likeness to come and plague me."

The angel (or manifestation of repressed homosexual desire) shrugged in typical Sheppard fashion. "Thought it would make you more comfortable."

"Well, it doesn't." Rodney put his hands on his hips. "So are we done here?"

"Um—" The angel (or attempt by the universe to drive Rodney absolutely insane) looked down at the floor and then up through his lashes, exploiting the Sheppard winsomeness in a way that Rodney couldn't imagine Sheppard himself doing. "There is this other thing."

Rodney sighed heavily. "What? And if it involves seeing anyone I care about getting fed on by the Wraith—"

The Shep angel threw up his hands. "No, no, nothing like that. Actually—" His eyes slid away sheepishly. "There's something I need your help with."

Rodney's eyebrows shot up. "You have to be kidding me. _That's_ what this has been about? _You_ want something from _me_?"

"It's for a good cause," the Shep angel insisted, a trifle defensively. "See, there's this specific sort of...knowledge that angels need before they can move on to higher levels of existence. Where we can do more good for others," he hastily added. "And I've never really— And I thought maybe you could—"

"Oh my God! Is _that_ why you showed up as Sheppard? Because you need to lose your non-corporeal cherry, and you know that I— A person can't help who he fantasizes about! And if Sheppard ever finds out about this—"

The Shep angel had turned bright red. "No! It's not— that. I just need—"

"What? What?" Rodney demanded, his already slim patience even slimmer.

"Thermodynamics!" the Shep angel blurted out.

Rodney could only stare. That was _so_ not what he'd been expecting.

"You're be surprised," the Shep angel explained, "how much of the spiritual world is governed by the laws of physics. I know I was." He sighed. "Science has never been my strong suit."

Rodney took a deep breath and let it out. "So, exactly how dim-witted are you?"

* * *

He awoke after what he would have sworn was a long, hard week of tutoring a remarkably dense higher being, only to find that not even a minute had actually gone by. He shifted positions and tucked the covers under his chin and went back to sleep with the certainty that there was an angel out there who owed them all a hell of a lot of ass-saving.

At breakfast, he double-fisted the coffee, because it had felt like a long night even if technically it hadn't been.

Sheppard (the real one, thank God) raised an eyebrow at him. "Trouble sleeping?"

"You wouldn't believe," Rodney grumbled.

The mess had been decorated for the holidays with fresh boughs of greenery brought in from the mainland and silver ribbon hung with silver bells. When the doors swung open, the air currents set off a chain reaction.

Sheppard grinned. "You know what they say about every time you hear a bell ring."

Rodney reached for more coffee. "Yeah. An angel has just mastered quantum mechanics."


End file.
